Wireless communication systems and techniques have become an important part of the way people communicate. However, providing coverage can be a significant challenge to wireless service providers. One way to extend coverage is to deploy repeaters.
In general, a repeater is a device that receives a signal, amplifies the signal, and transmits the amplified signal. FIG. 1 illustrates a basic diagram of a repeater 110, in the context of a cellular telephone system. The repeater 110 includes a donor antenna 115 as an example network interface to network infrastructure devices such as a base station 125. The repeater 110 also includes a server antenna 120 (also referred to as a “coverage antenna”) as a mobile interface to one or more mobile devices 130. In operation, the donor antenna 115 is in communication with the base station 125, while the server antenna 120 is in communication with the mobile devices 130.
In the repeater 110, signals from the base station 125 are amplified using forward link circuitry 135, while signals from the mobile devices 130 are amplified using reverse link circuitry 140. Many configurations may be used for the forward link circuitry 135 and the reverse link circuitry 140, and there are many types of repeaters.
In some repeaters, both the network and mobile interfaces are wireless, while in others, a wired network interface is used. Some repeaters receive signals with a first carrier frequency and transmit amplified signals with a second different carrier frequency, while others receive and transmit signals using the same carrier frequency. For “same frequency” repeaters, existing repeaters use a number of techniques to manage the feedback that arises from some of the transmitted signal leaking back to the receive circuitry and being amplified and transmitted again. For example, a repeater may be configured to provide physical isolation between the two antennae, or other techniques may be employed.
Historically, repeaters have been used by infrastructure providers to increase the coverage of cellular phone networks. The expansion of network infrastructure, including repeaters in the macro network environment, has enabled vastly improved service over the past decade. When a large number of repeaters are deployed, however, it can complicate the overall coverage of a given geographic region or neighborhood. It would therefore be desirable to be able to actively manage the impact that each device has on overall macro network coverage.